before brutal diffusing concept races

Knight of the Order

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

, such as the brutal Warlock Knights of Vaasa. Other knighthoods are secular and nongovernmental organizations of warriors who follow a particular philosophy, or consider themselves a kind of extended

again in ruins, Dove Falconhand decided to reform the group with the primary goal of building alliances and friendship between the civilized races of the world and goodly people in order to combat evil

Hobgoblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; entire society forever stands prepared for war. Brutal Civility Hobgoblins hold themselves to high standards of military honor. The race has a long history of shared traditions, recorded and retold

little to conceal an underlying brutality that hobgoblins practice on each other and perfect upon other races. Punishment for infractions of hobgoblin law are swift and merciless. Beauty is something

Firbolg Names

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

Firbolg Names Firbolg adopt elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names

, and instead identify the forest’s children by their deeds, habits, and other actions. By the same token, their tribe names merely refer to their homes. When dealing with other races, firbolgs refer

Conflict without End

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Conflict without End Few others aside from the dwarves and the duergar understand or appreciate the true scope and intensity of the battles between these two races. Viewed on a grand scale, the

conflict is a great war of attrition — the combatants don’t often gain or lose territory as the result of battle. But on a personal scale, combat is brutal, with no quarter given or expected. The duergar

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips

, committed by the goliath. Goliaths assign and use nicknames with their friends of other races, and change them to refer to an individual’s notable deeds. Goliaths present all three names when

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

adopt elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names, and instead identify the

forest’s children by their deeds, habits, and other actions. By the same token, their tribe names merely refer to their homes. When dealing with other races, firbolgs refer to their lands by

Using This Book

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

the game. It includes information on the various races, classes, backgrounds, equipment, and other customization options that you can choose from. Many of the rules in part 1 rely on material in parts

2 and 3. If you come across a game concept in part 1 that you don’t understand, consult the book’s index. Part 2 (chapters 7–9) details the rules of how to play the game, beyond the basics described

Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Background There exists an underwater abyss known as the Endless Nadir — a haunted place shunned by the aquatic races of the region, for this realm is the site of a submerged city of aboleths. For

aboleth mulled over the concept of Tharizdun in idle moments, and eventually those thoughts flowered into something alien and repulsive to most aboleths: religious faith.

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Realms

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

varied cultures and races, Faerûn is dominated by human lands, be they kingdoms, city-states, or carefully maintained alliances of rural communities. Interspersed among the lands of humans are old dwarven

extraplanar exploration, “Faerûn” is more than large enough of a concept for them to comprehend. Except in the most remote or insular places, Faerûnians are accustomed to seeing people of different

Blood Will Tell

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

other races, he swore the orcs would avenge themselves by taking what they wanted by force. The great orc hordes continue to do just that today, appearing periodically from out of the wilderness to

among orcs react to this stigma by being more brutal than others of their tribe, which can put them in roles of leadership, but outsider half-orcs aren’t welcomed into orc society because they aren’t of

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

races have little good to say about kobolds, but they do admit that the little reptilians do respectable tunnel work using simple tools. If a band of kobolds is enslaved by more powerful creatures

lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are placed in a common tribal hatchery with no effort to keep track of who each one

Mind Flayer Magic

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

power. Since they are capable of planar travel, illithids don’t view the afterlife and the Outer Planes in the mythic way that most other races do. Illithids don’t believe they possess souls whose

after death would its consciousness be cast into oblivion. Two divine entities have long been associated with mind flayers by the scholars of other races. These aren’t deities, but rather

Type

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

spellcasting), and a bipedal form. The most common humanoid races are the ones most suitable as player characters: humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings. Almost as numerous but far more savage and brutal, and

called elementals. Others have biological forms infused with elemental energy. The races of genies, including djinn and efreet, form the most important civilizations on the elemental planes. Other

The Ordning

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

where a giant stands among his or her ilk. Traditionally, storm giants have stood at the top of the ordning. Tall and powerful, they struggle to keep the weaker races of giants from despoiling the

rule. Dragons are the ancient enemies of giants. Thousands of years ago, the last great empire of giants — Ostoria — fell after a long and brutal conflict with dragons. Little of Ostoria remains in

Arena

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

, but more modest stadiums can be found throughout the land, serving as proving grounds for athletes and entertainment for the rich and poor. Foot and chariot races, hurling competitions, and combat

themselves, causing dangerous accidents during competitions. 7 An archmage enchants or polymorphs innocents, forcing them to participate in brutal contests. 8 A druid uses the awaken spell on beasts in the arena to make them more capable competitors.

Suggested Characteristics

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Order or Mystra’s Knights of the Mystic Fire. Other knightly orders serve a government, royal family, or are the elite military of a feudal state, such as the brutal Warlock Knights of Vaasa. Other

building alliances and friendship between the civilized races of the world and goodly people in order to combat evil. The Knights of Myth Drannor once again ride the roads of the Dalelands, and they’ve

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their deities, the orcs know that if they fight well and bring glory to their tribe, Gruumsh will call them home to

or less intact, the orcs leave themselves the option of returning to raid the community over and over. When orcs fight elves, all of that changes. The enmity between the two races cuts to the core

Modifying a Class

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

, paladins might not swear their oaths to ideals, but instead swear fealty to powerful sorcerers. To capture this story concept, you could build a new paladin spell list with spells meant to protect

different races or cultures. The bardic colleges might be closed to everyone except elves, dragonborn might be the only creatures capable of becoming sorcerers, and all warlocks in your world might be human

The Revered Queen

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

fit. The Astral Plane would be their home domain, because in that timeless realm they could ignore the need for food, water, and other mundane concerns that plague lesser races. Vlaakith also

innermost court — the wondrous realm that Gith discovered in her journeys, and where she awaits those who have proven themselves worthy. Imagine you lack any concept of family. You’re constantly told that

Citadel Felbarr

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Citadel Felbarr Among the eldest and grandest of the Delzoun holds, Citadel Felbarr was built more than three thousand years ago — a span of time beyond the ability of younger races to comprehend

reclaimed the citadel for the dwarves. After a first, brutal winter, Citadel Felbarr was restored: its forges were relit, and the sound of dwarven hammers began ringing through its halls once again. It was

Life and Outlook

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

blows over their differences. Kobolds choose mates primarily for convenience. Their lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are

other humanoid races. At 6 years old a kobold is considered an adult. Most succumb to violence, accidents, or disease by age 20, but a kobold can live for up to 120 years — a longevity they attribute to

Hobgoblins

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

weapons capably. Every legion in the hobgoblins’ entire society forever stands prepared for war. Brutal Civility Hobgoblins hold themselves to high standards of military honor. The race has a long

. These trappings of civil society do little to conceal an underlying brutality that hobgoblins practice on each other and perfect upon other races. Punishment for infractions of hobgoblin law are

Uthgardt

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

its hunting grounds — territory that often overlaps with the hunting grounds of other Uthgardt tribes as well as land claimed by civilized races, orcs, dragons, goblinoids, and other creatures

sway of a brutal chieftain known as Wormblod. The tribe’s spirit mound is located inside Great Worm Cavern, in the Spine of the World. Wormblod and his tribe strike out from this cavern only

Torrents Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

before plunging into the cavernous darkness beyond. Tall, slime-covered columns ascend from the foul water. Each one is decorated with a mosaic depicting elves, dwarves, humans, and other races descending

young Gar Shatterkeel into brutal indenture. The other is the same Calishite pirate vessel that attacked the Tethyrian merchant galley, an event that caused Gar to be cast adrift and lose his arm to a

Wedding Itinerary

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

players to embrace the roles and enjoy the concept of momentarily placing their NPC’s secret goal as a top priority. Players might be more willing to take this on if you let them know that the scenario

chaos dies down. Amara’s Secret. If an item has been stolen, Amara’s secret triggers and she races to get her battleaxe from the gift table. She then begins searching for the culprit and screaming

D&D Beyond

Search Results